Measles exposure location found in Grand Junction
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced one of the state's confirmed measles cases passed through Grand Junction.
On Tuesday, May 27, an adult from El Paso County who tested positive for measles passed through the Love's Travel Stop and Carl's Jr at 748 22 Road. Alli Howe, chief health strategist for Mesa County Public Health, says symptoms can take up to three weeks to develop.
'The initial symptoms of measles are going to start with cough and fever. After about three to five days of active symptoms, that's when you're going to start to see some of that more visible rash that people associate with measles virus,' she says.
Howe says anyone who was exposed and showing symptoms should reach out to public health at 970-254-4120.
'We would like folks who were at Love's Travel Stop and Carl's Jr on 22nd Road in Grand Junction on Tuesday, May 27, between the hours of 6 and 10 p.m. to contact our disease surveillance team. If they were there from those times and they have any of those symptoms, we'd like to hear from you because we want to make sure if you were exposed that you get the best care possible.'
Howe tells WesternSlopeNow there's not a major concern about a measles outbreak in Mesa County.
'What's great about local public health is we always have these systems in place for if and when something happens with one of these highly infectious diseases… we have ongoing relationships with our school districts and our hospitals, places where there are a lot of people convening together, such as public schools, for if we do have a cluster of more cases. But to date, this potential exposure is the only one we have in Mesa County,' Howe says.
Howe encourages those who are able to get the MMR vaccine if they haven't already. You can do so at the Mesa County Public Health Clinic as well as many primary care facilities and pharmacies.
'I think we're safe as long as we keep doing what we're really good at in Mesa County, taking care of each other and doing that preventative work,' Howe said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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At the epicenter of the measles outbreak in Gaines County, 'that community has either become immune by contracting measles and developing immunity from the disease, or in some cases, they've gotten vaccinated,' Freeman said, but she added that 'there's a cautionary tale,' because of summer travel. 'Heavy travel is anticipated,' she warned. 'The travel spread could continue throughout the rest of the country as these groups become mobile and still carry the disease.' The CDC's health notice emphasizes that all international travelers should be fully vaccinated with the recommended two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and that infants ages 6 months to 11 months who are traveling should receive an extra dose. 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However, there are exceptions for health care workers serving a measles outbreak area, for whom two MMR doses are recommended regardless of birth year. Hotez highlights that vaccine recommendations may change as outbreaks continue, stressing the importance of staying aware of updates from local health officials. The MMR vaccine is not recommended for pregnant women, infants younger than 6 months and people who have severely weakened immune systems. Although the risk of exposure is generally low, people who can't be vaccinated should speak with their doctor about their individual risk tolerance, said Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director for infection prevention at the Yale School of Medicine. 'A lot of this depends on their access to therapeutics at their travel destination, like are they going to an area where immunoglobulins may be available?' Immunoglobulins, also known as antibodies, are naturally produced by the body as a part of immune responses. 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Full immunity includes the two doses of MMR vaccine at least 28 days apart as well as the two weeks it takes to build up final immunity after the last dose. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles infection, so vaccinated travelers who suspect that they have been exposed to the virus shouldn't need to worry, Roberts said. Although that leaves a 3% chance of infection, symptoms are significantly lessened with the vaccine. If you are unvaccinated and suspect that you may have been exposed, Roberts says you should see a doctor as soon as possible. 'Depending on how soon you are after exposure, you can still do something,' he said. You may be able to get immunoglobulin or even the MMR vaccine to help lessen symptoms. Other than verifying immunity, Roberts advises typical travel guidance such as packing commonly used and prescribed medications, as well as keeping a list of hospitals or clinics at your destination and other first-aid supplies. 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'In the 1980s, measles was the single leading killer of children globally. It [led to] 3 million deaths annually. Now, through the GAVI Vaccine Alliance and other programs, we've brought it down to around 100,000 deaths, but it's still a lot. And we're seeing what happens in West Texas. Ten percent, 20% of kids are being hospitalized, measles, pneumonia, neurologic injury. We've had over 90 hospitalizations so far in Texas and two measles deaths.'
